Military Draft

During the Civil War, World War 1, World War 2, and the Vietnam War the U.S. didn’t have enough volunteers for the war that it caused a draft in each of the wars, which was opposed by many people.

Going into these wars the U.S. military did not have all the volunteers they needed. They decided to start the Selective Service System that were to be used only for the duration of emergency, which allowed them to draft a certain amount of men that were between the ages of 18 to 45, in some cases the threat of draft caused an acceleration in volunteering. There were certain groups that were exempted from certain duties such as a conscientious objector were exempted from combat duties, other groups were exempted from all duties such as Government officials, clergymen, theological students, draftees, and there were also provisions that permitted exemption by the payment of $300 in the Civil War and $500 in World War 1 exemption by payment stopped after World War 1, this angered the people resulting in draft riots in the U.S. during the wars.

The definition of drafting is the compulsory recruitment or drafting of men for service in a country's military forces. Conscription was discontinued after the armistice in 1918 and was reinstituted in the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. All males 21 to 35 were required to register. Registrants with dependents were exempted. Those with occupations essential to the national health, safety, and welfare were also exempted. Lotteries held in Washington, D.C. selected those for training and service. The period you would initially serve was 1 year, but extended in August 1941 to 18 months. When the U.S. entered World War 2 the age limit were expanded to 18 through 65. Those 20 to 45 were liable to military service.

During the Civil War in 1862 the Militia Act, which allowed the president to draft 300,000 men through the ages of 18 to 45 for nine months. Governors were responsible for conducting the draft through county or state officials. The threat of it, brought together with increased bounties brought in enough volunteers. Then during World War 1 the Selective Service System, which was similar to the Militia Act, authorized the president to draft 500,00 men through the ages of 21 to 30 for only the duration of emergency. The ages that you could be drafted was extended in August of that year to 18 through 45. Government officials, clergymen, and theological students were exempted; conscientious objectors were exempted from combat duties; and others could be exempted by presidential action. The provisions that permitted exemption by the payment of $300 caused a widespread opposition to the draft. Some democratic leaders attacked the act as unconstitutional.

The first lottery drawing, on July 11 during the Civil War, went undisturbed, but when the draft lottery resumed the following Monday a mob formed and wrecked the headquarters of the provost marshal. The mob grew and spread through the city. With the city defenseless against the mob from lack of troops the mob dominated the city destroying or damaging buildings attacking supposed opponents, such as antislavery advocates, African Americans, and Republicans. Victims throughout the city were brutalized and murdered, even destroyed a blacks orphanage. Finally, troops were rushed into the city and bought it under control. The draft was suspended but it was resumed August 19 without disturbance.

At the end of the 1960, draft calls were negligible, but quotas were raised for the Berlin crisis in 1961, then in 1962 for Cuban missile crisis, and for the Vietnam War in 1965. The draft was unpopular and caused anti war marches, burning of draft card, and riots at induction centers. Then during Vietnam president Johnson relied on selective service for manpower as the war escalated. The draft hit youth unequally. Thousands of middle and upper class youth avoided the draft. Draftees constituted no more than 40 percent of troop strength, but their use of it increased the opposition toward the draft. The U.S. had to introduce conscription and between 1963 and 1973 over 9,000 men were prosecuted for refusing to be drafted into the U.S. Army. Some people burnt their draft cards in public while other left the country to avoid being drafted.

A conscientious objector is one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles. Beliefs, which qualify a registrant for conscientious objector status may be religious in nature, but don't have to be. Beliefs may be moral or ethical; however, a man's reasons for not wanting to participate in a war must not be based on politics, expediency, or self-interest. In general, the man's lifestyle prior to making his claim must reflect his current claims. Two types of service are available to conscientious objectors, and the type assigned is determined by the individual's specific beliefs. The person who is opposed to any form of military service will be assigned to Alternative Service. The person whose beliefs allow him to serve in the military but in a noncombatant capacity will serve in the Armed Forces, but will not be assigned training or duties that include using weapons. The length of service for a conscientious objector would be the same as the regular draft length will be the same amount of time a regular drafted man would have.

The term (conscientious objector) is mostly used to denote the ones that refuse to participate in armed conflict. Conscientious objection is closely associated with pacifism. People have also refused on the grounds of conscientious to be vaccinated, to pay taxes, to go to public schools, and to participate in various forms of compulsory service to the state. Conscientious Objection can be traced back to as long ago as the 6^th century B.C. in the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Lao-tse. The Jewish had some religious basis in the Old Testament, particularly in Isaiah, but there is no consistent tradition of pacifism in Judaism. Pacifism then gave way to the doctrine of “just war.” As developed by Augustine and elaborated centuries later by Thomas Aquinas. The doctrine was more suited to the new secular activities of Christianity opposed participation in a particular war. With it, widespread conscientious objection, declined during the Middle Ages with the growing secular influence of the church and the predominance of the “just war” doctrine. Only a few heretical sects upheld the early Christian teachings, often at the price of persecution. Other sects maintained that tradition through following the Protestant Reformation. Since many of the United States original settlers were members of pacifist sects that were forced out of Europe the U.S. developed an early familiarity with conscientious objection. As a result, colonial governments frequently provided exemptions from military service for members of those sects that had religious principles against it. The laws of a given colony reflected the influence of the sects that settled there. In 1777 the first New York constitution was written. It exempted Quakers exclusively, while the first Pennsylvania exemption benefited only the Moravians.

There are many different reasons to be resistant in the time of war, it could

be based on a membership in a pacifistic religious sect, such as the Society of Friends

(Quakers), the Dukhubors, or Jehovah’s Witnesses, or a on personal religious or

humanitarian convictions. Political opposition to the particular aim of conscription, such

as that maintained by the Copperheads during the Civil War, by radical groups during

World War 1 and, to a more limited extent, during World War 2, and by large numbers

during the Vietnam War, is usually considered in a separate category. The problem of

conscientious objectors, although in different forms, became acute in WW1 and WW2

because of the urgent demands for manpower of the warring. Pacifist without recognized

claim to exemption were liable to harsher treatment, about 5,000 conscientious objectors were imprisoned in the U.S. between 1940 and 1945. In 1970 the Supreme Court removed the religious requirement and allowed objection based on a deeply held

and coherent ethical system with no reference to a Supreme Being. In 1971 the Supreme

Court refused to allow objection to a particular war, a decision affecting thousands of

objectors to the Vietnam War. Some 50,000-100,000 men are estimated to have left the

United States to avoid being drafted to serve in that war.

Then in Britain pacifists became known as conscientious objectors in the first World War. About 7000 were willing to help the country by working in non-combat roles such as medical orderlies cooks or laborer, stretcher-bearers, and ambulance drivers. Some pacifists, Known s absolute conscientious objectors such as Clifford Allen, Fenner Brockway, Bertrand Russell, and E. D. Morel, rejected any involvement in the war. Some absolute conscientious objectors such as Allen and Brockway formed the pressure group, the Non-Conscription Fellowship. The Non-Conscription Fellowship mounted a forceful campaign against the punishment and imprisonment of conscientious objectors after the passing of the Military Service Act in 1916. By the end of the war, 8,608 appeared before Military Tribunals. More than 4,500 were sent to do work of national importance such as farming. 528 were sentenced to severe penalties. Some sentenced to death or life in prison. 69 of them died in prison. In April 1939 Neville Chamberlain announced a return to conscription, but lessons had been learned from the first World War. Tribunals were set up to deal with claims for exemption on conscientious ground, but there were no military representatives acting as prosecutors. This time the Tribunals were willing to grant absolute exemption. Over the next 6 years a total of 59,192 people in Britain registered as conscientious objectors. Over the next 70 city councils dismissed conscientious objectors who were working for them. Some workers refused to work along side conscientious objector.

Many people hated the draft. There were in these wars people just hated anything about wars and violence. Causing the military lack of troops. The lack of people in the military during the wars caused a draft. After the Civil War the draft was discontinued. And reinstituted in World War 1. The new draft laws made it so it could only be used throughout the duration of emergency. The opposition to the draft did not change. The opposition to the draft increased in each of the wars. The U.S.’s familiarity with conscientious objection did not help the draft become more popular even to conscientious objectors. Draft riots were everywhere throughout the cities. People burning there draft cards crowds of people having no conscription campaigns. People even took drastic measures to avoid the draft such as leaving the country. This show that the draft after the Civil War was used only through the duration of emergency and it was hated by many people.